News & Issues

Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark Disappointed, but Not Surprised by Ethics Commissioner’s Ruling

Posted on January 06, 2015 by Katherine Taylor

Today’s ruling by the Ethics Commissioner proves that Alberta has the weakest ethics law in Canada, says Alberta Party leader Greg Clark.

“Gordon Dirks' promise to build portables for one school simply to win an election is unethical by any measure, even if it fits the letter of a very weak ethics law,” said Clark. “The Ethics Commissioner said as much in her report and the one issued late last year into the actions of Jim Prentice, when she said their actions would be against the law in other provinces.

“Albertans know it’s wrong. Why don’t the Prentice PCs?”

Clark said it’s a pattern of behaviour for a PC Party that cares only about power, not principle.

“The Auditor General said in his report on Alison Redford’s travel and office expenses ‘what’s needed is a backbone of principles, not a corset of rules.’ The Prentice PCs are exactly the same,” said Clark. “Jim Prentice’s PC Party doesn’t do what’s right; they do what they can get away with.”

Clark emphasized that portables are desperately needed at William Reid.

“William Reid is at capacity and needs those portables, but so do the other six schools ahead of them on the list, and so do the other four schools after William Reid,” said Clark. “This whole issue is the result of years of under-investment in critical school infrastructure by the PC government.”

Clark noted that Jim Prentice campaigned on a platform to clean up government but has fallen at the first hurdle.

“Actions speak louder than words. Jim Prentice talks about ethical government but does what’s best for the PCs, not what’s right.

“He had the opportunity to improve Alberta’s ethics law in the fall sitting of the Legislature but did nothing. That tells us all we need to know about his commitment to ethics.”